“I agree, and quickly,” Roswell said. “If this man is threatening your father, it is only a matter of time before he makes good on his threats.”
With a glance at the door, Caleb said, “I brought Anette with me. She is in the drawing room with Octavia right now.”
Roswell fought the smile that was threatening to form on his lips. He always welcomed a chance to see Anette, no matter how brief the encounter. He shoved back his chair and rose. “This is perfect timing because my mother should be awake and eating breakfast at this hour.”
Rising, Caleb nodded. “That is what I was hoping.”
As they walked towards the drawing room, Roswell asked, “How is Anette handling what she overheard?”
“She has questions, but I could tell it unsettled her more than she would care to admit,” Caleb replied. “I did convince her to sleep with a pistol under her pillow.”
“I don’t like that Anette is in harm’s way.”
“You and me both,” Caleb said.
Their conversation came to an end when they stepped into the drawing room and he saw Octavia and Anette were sitting on the settee, engaged in conversation.
“Good morning,” Roswell greeted.
Anette smiled at him, and the room felt suddenly brighter as a result. “Good morning, Roswell,” she responded.
“Thank you for coming today,” Roswell said. “I know that my mother will be pleased to see you.”
Rising, Anette expressed, “It is my pleasure.”
Roswell turned his attention towards his sister. “Would you care to join us?”
Octavia leaned back in her seat. “I think it is best if you and Anette go alone. We wouldn’t want to overwhelm Mother with too many visitors at once.”
“Good thinking, but that is assuming Anette has no issues with that,” Roswell said.
“I am amenable to that,” Anette agreed.
“Wonderful.” Roswell stepped closer to Anette and offered his arm. “Shall we?”
Anette accepted his arm and replied, “Thank you.”
They departed from the drawing room and headed up the stairs. Roswell felt the need to warn Anette of his mother’s condition, despite having previous conversations. He just didn’t want to catch her unaware.
He cleared his throat. “There is always a chance that my mother won’t remember you. I need you to be prepared for that.”
“I understand, and I assure you that I won’t take any offense by it,” Anette said, reassuring him.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at his mother’s bedchamber and he brought his hand up to knock on the door.
But he found he couldn’t do it.
Anette gave him a curious look. “Is everything all right?”
“I just never know how my mother will respond to me,” Roswell admitted. “It should get easier with each passing day, but I find that it only gets harder.”
“I do believe that is normal.”
Roswell huffed. “I do not want this to be the new normal. I would prefer to go back to the way it used to be.”
“The only way to erase the sadness of sorrow is to remove the love from life,” Anette said softly.
He hung his head. “I just don’t know how much longer I can go on pretending that all is well when my heart is breaking.”
